Even The Strongest Ones Break
by Tom Tomorrow
Summary: When the flock are captured again. They are taken back to their worst nightmare. The School. Things are going a little differently this time around. The newest director has particularly gruesome plans for a certain two members of the flock. Determined to break them and rebuild them into the perfect mutant. But just how far will the whitecoats go? Adventure/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship
1. Chapter 1

Max groaned. Captured. Again. This was getting old. She slid her fingers throughout the bars, pressed her face up against the cage, and took a look around.

As far as she could tell there were only six cages in the empty room. No doubt holding her fellow teammates. She and the flock were back in the family five by three foot dog cages that had haunted their childhood for several years. The cages were placed strategically around the room, in such a way that it would be impossible to have a face to face conversation. The whitecoats obviously didn't want them communicating with each other. But that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"Report?" she throatily called out. Max was surprised at the way her voice sounded, as if she had been here for days instead of mere hours. Nevertheless she wasted closely for an answer. There was a decent amount of shuffling as the flock struggled to see their leader.

"We're here." chorused Angel and Gazzy. Their voices came from the cages closest to the door.

"Besides the fact that I feel like crap, it's just a couple of bruises and bumps for me." Iggy muttered. His voice came for the cage directly opposite from her.

"I'll live." Fan murmured, quiet and mysterious as always. An long moment passed before anyone said anything else.

"Nudge?" Iggy called out.

"Where is she? Who's in the last cage? Can anyone see?" Max demand, immediately taking charge of the situation.

"I can see her." Fang said quietly. "She's in the cage across from me. Unconscious. She did hit that wall pretty hard." he noted remembering the fight they had with Erasers.

"Is there any noticeable injury to the head?" Iggy, the flock doctor, asked with concern. There was a short silence as Fang craned his neck to get a better look at her. It was hard to get a good view considering that she wasn't even facing his direction. Her hair was matted down and her face was dripping with sweat, but he couldn't see any blood. But that could be a good or bad thing.

"Not that I can see. She's not exactly facing my direction." he replied at last. Before the conversation could continue, the door swung open. Immediately the flock tensed up and watched warily as four, hugely-built erasers stepped int the room. Their muscles rippled underneath their thick brown fur and wolfish grins were plastered to their faces. Max was determined not to be intimidated by them. Instead she started to let out a slur of insults.

"Okay we've been through this before. Let me guess your boss has the ultimate grudge against us. So he and/or she just had to capture us for their personal needs. You're looking for the leader right? Well, I'm the leader. So let's just go ahead and get it over with, you oversized furballs. Take me to your leader." Max spat at them. Unfortunately, the wolf men paid no heed.

"We're not looking for the leader. We're going to things differently this time." Eraser #1 growled in her direction. He turned towards his comrades. "We're on a deadline. Hurry up and do your jobs." Immediately, the second tow erasers headed toward the cages. The silence was formidable as the flock watched the Erasers slowly crossing the room, bending down and peering in the cages looking for their victims. He was enjoying this. The stupid jerk, The wolfman bent down in front of Nudge's cage. He stared intently through the bars. "Yep, this one will do." he muttered as he opened the cage and yanked the limp figure out.

The dreaded silence that had been hanging over the room earlier had disappeared. The racket the flock made in protest filled the area. The erasers, however, only took amusement in this. "Don't worry little Nudge won't be the only taking a trip to the ward. We have orders to take macho man out, as well." the ringman grinned. He motioned for the other two to follow them. They obviously knew better than to face Fang alone. Especially when he was mad. They took extra precaution. One Eraser prepared to open the door, while two others took their positions in front of the cage, while the ringleader guarded the exit. The slowly and cautiously the unlatched the hatch.

A blur of black was all that was visible to Max as Fang swung his fists in fury, but the enemy was prepared. The man who had opened the cage lunged for his legs. Catching Fang off guard and causing his to stumble. This gave the other two ample opportunity to grab his arms and force him to the ground. The leader bent down near Fang's struggling form and spit in his face. "It's pointless resisting. I don't see why you even bother trying." the leader tsked and stood up to face the fearful looks from the remaining caged members. "You guys have nothing to worry about. Blonde hair, light skin…" the Eraser trailed off thoughtfully. "These birdies however. They have hell waiting on the other side." As if to prove his point, he delivered a harsh kick to Fang's mouth. Blood sprayed from his mouth, as the steel-toed boot made contact with his skin, but Fang refused to make a sound. Max growled at them.

"Let them go!" she protested. "It's me you want."

"No dear Maxie. Don't you get it? You get a break this time. In fact all four of you do. No one can lay a finger on you four. Director's orders." the eraser sighed. "Such a shame to… I'll just have to have my way with this one instead." He said absent-mindedly stroking Nudge's hair. His crew yanked Fang to his feet, while the leader slung Nudge over his back. "It was nice meeting you, but we're on a tight schedule, I'm afraid."

"Bye bye birdies." Eraser #1 yelled as the metal door slammed shut behind him. The remaining four birdkids were left to dwell in silence

Author's Note: I do not own Maximum Ride


	2. Chapter 2

The group of Erasers forced Fang down endless white corridors and past many rooms. They didn't slow down as they whipped around corners. From past experience Fang tried to memorize possible escape routes, but found it hard to concentrate between the painful throbbing on his jaw and the fact that Nudge hadn't moved since they'd arrived. The antiseptic smell of hospital mixed with the smell of stale blood was permanently etched into his skull and his eyes were beginning to hurt from the binding white of the walls.

Fang thought about making a run for it, but he couldn't just leave Nudge behind. Besides the three bulky men had their hands firmly attached to arms. The odds of him beating the erasers, grabbing Nudge, getting back to the flock, and escaping, were depressingly low. So, he decided, that it would be best to wait and make his moves subtle. Instead of outright attacking, Fang purposely slowed down. He dragged his feet and leaned at an awkward angle making it more difficult for the hench men to hold him. Hopefully, this would by him more time to think of a more effective plan. He was brought out of his thoughts when one of his captors delivered a sharp uppercut to his gut. A flash of pain shot through him and his vision temporarily blackened for a moment. Unable to stop himself, Fang groaned in agony giving the Erasers the reaction they wanted.

"Now now birdie. Can't be thinking to long. It's never good when mutants think about escaping." The lackey who delivered the blow tutted. "Now stand up straight and walk with some sense or the next one is landing on your friend over there."

Fang did his best to stand up straight as they began darting through yet another hallway. After twenty minutes of agonizing walking, they stopped in front of a huge metal door. A giant sign that was bolted on the entrance read Folterkammer in bold letters. At this realization Fang faltered. Curse the German classes he took while the flock was at Anne's house. Because Folterkammer meant… "Torture..." he muttered dejectedly under his breathe.

The leading Eraser punched in several numbers in a numerical keypad and pressed his hand/paw to a handprint scanner. The door slowly hissed open and saw that it was reinforced with stainless steel. Fang was strong, but it was going to take a hell of a lot to break down that door, he noted. The interior looked like nothing more than a small concrete bunker. Only about fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet long. No taller than eight feet in height. The room obviously hadn't been cleaned in a while. Tufts of fur and what looked like fish scales littered the floor. Dried blood stained the white walls. The entire room reeked of sweat, urine and other bodily fluids. In each corner of the room was a video camera, enforced with what looked like plexiglass so the occupants couldn't mess with them. A pair of MSR (Maximum Security Restraint) shackles we're bolted to each wall. Those things were designed to withhold at least a ton of pressure. The metal from which they were made of was invulnerable to heat, cold, and weather conditions. Yep. This wasn't looking to good for them.

"Welcome to your new home birdies." the Era-, Luke, said chuckling.

Yeah... Not good at all. They forced Fang into a sitting position and linked the cuffs around his wrists. They carelessly tossed Nudge to the floor and cuffed her as well.

"Now don't get to comfortable Fangie. The director will be seeing you shortly."

Then they left. Fang sat silence for several moments just to make sure they weren't coming back. Then started contemplating his predicament. Step One, he vaguely remembered Jeb saying when they had first escaped school. Asses the situation. Fang despised Jeb, but the man had given his some good advice. He opened and closed his mouth slowly, testing its strength. Sore, but defiantly not broken. His ribs hadn't cracked or broken from the blow he'd received earlier. Nor was it difficult to breathe. So, all things considered, he was in relatively good shape. Fang looked at Nudge who was still out cold in front of him. He had to wake her up, it would be best for both of them if they were both on guard.

Several moments passed before he finally called out Nudge's name. Nothing happened. He said her name a little louder. All he got in response was a low groan as her body changed positions. "Nudge!" Fang shouted raising his voice. Like a bullet, Nudge straightened up and her eyes flew open. She rapidly blinked as her eyes got used to the light. Nudge groaned in pain before finally focusing on Fang.

"Where are we? Where are the rest of the Flock? Why does my head hurt? Are you okay?"She asked firing off questions.

"We're back at School. In a different room. And you were thrown against the wall pretty hard. I'm okay too." he replied. Nudge contemplated this for a moment and opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the door opening. A tall, fifty-something year old women with a haggard face stepped in the room. Her figure seemed angular and bony, blonde hair pulled tightly into a bun. Fang could of easily mistaken her for a but she walked with importance. The woman was dressed entirely in red, right down to the six inch heels she was wearing. Sewn on her chest was a small insignia that he couldn't quite make out. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked across the room. Was this the director?

"Hello avian experiments F42n02g and N0d231g. I am Director Raven Mcallister. You will call me Director. Understood?" she said with a smooth, untrusting voice. Fang and Nudge just stared. "I'm sure you're familiar with the term Folterkammer. It means torture, our designers have a very er, vivid imagination. I prefer experimentation. Which you two will be enduring a lot of. Consider yourselves lucky that I not dispose of you immediately. We have no use of your kind." she said looking at them with disgust. "Hideous. However you are to valuable to simply dispose of. So instead of ridding the world of you we shalI remake you instead. Break you down and build you back up. The perfect mutant. I hope you enjoy the activities we have in plan. This is just the beginning." the Director finished. The duo watched as their captor turned to walk away and as she did so Fang saw the insignia once more. It was so small but very terrifying, as the insignia sewn on her blouse resembled that of the notorious Nazis. Yeah. He definitely shouldn't of stuck with German Studies.


	3. Chapter 3

The duo didn't let their guard down until a good ten minutes after the director had left. Well approximately anyways. It was hard to keep track of time without a way to track it. Fang and Nudge had lapsed into an odd, but comforting silence. Their dark eyes perforated into each others their silence speaking so many volumes. It told each other that they would be safe, not to worry, and to have hope. It was strange for Fang to see her so silent, so motionless. It would have worried him in any other situation, but this situation was appropriate for that kind of reaction. Besides, he had other flies in his ointment. Like what kind of 'activities' the whitecoats had in mind for them. There was a very good reason on why the flock was afraid of needles and cages.

Fang could tell Nudge was getting restless. While he was content to sit in one position for extended amounts of time, she however was not. She was always moving, flying, or at the very least fidgeting. This was very hard to do in their precarious position as their hands were chained above their heads making it very difficult to move. So instead she sat indian style, anxiously tapping her foot against the foot.

"Nudge." he called out. No response. "Nudge. You need to calm down." Nudge glared at him. "How the heck am I supposed to calm down. We don't know we are. We don't where the flock is. They could be dying for all they know. Are we just supposed to sit here?" she yelled at him. Fang thought over his response carefully, not wanting to anger her anymore.

"Look Nudge. Look at me!" Fang started raising his voice. "The flock is going to okay. Because Max has a plan. She always has a plan. We're going to be okay. Because we're going to get our of this, we always do. And you know it." Nudge remained silent and stared down at her shoes. He almost felt guilty for yelling at her, but he had to get it through her head that they weren't going to die. He leaned his head back against the wall as the room lapsed into silence once again.

Just as he was beginning to relax, the sound of the door opening again. Fang inwardly, as he prepared himself for what was to come. When the door fully opened people began to file. They consisted of about six whitecoats and four erasers. Guess everyone was adequately prepared on what to do if one of them escaped. The scientists had wheeled in two carts stocked with medical equipment. Giving them the horrid vision of what was to come. The whitecoats kept their voices low as they prepared the equipment, while the Erasers just stood guard at the door. Fang watched them with narrowed eyes as they filled up the syringes with various liquids.

When he tried listening in on their conversation, Fang realized that they weren't even speaking English. They would have no chance of even deciphering what anyone had to say. He swallowed hard and gave an encouraging nod towards Nudge as the whitecoats advanced toward them. Three went for him and three headed for Nudge.

"Well, well, well. Look at the little birdies we have here." A scientist with an heavy Russian accent said tauntingly. "I wish I could offer some words of encouragement, but let's face it. This is going to hurt. A lot. Besides it's not in my job description." The man said bending down over Fang. "Now if you would give me your for arm moment." The whitecoat wiped his arm down with alcohol and motioned for his assistants to hand him the syringe. The shot was about 35 mm and filled to the brink with a pulsing green liquid. Green was never a good color. The cold metal was pushed into the vein of his arm and injected into his body.

At first Fang didn't feel anything, only the strange, foreign substance making it's way around his body. Uncomfortable, but nothing he couldn't stand, sort of like a giant slug was moving up and down his body. Then the burning sensation began. It was subtle when it started just a tingling in his hands and feet, but the feeling quickly escalated. Spreading up his arms and legs and to his chest. He could feel his body temperature rising rapidly and his eyes began to water. Suddenly something was shoved into his mouth. A thermometer? Right, the whitecoats were recording all of this. Fang blinked several times trying to clear his vision, but the blurriness wouldn't cease. If anything his vision worsened. The pain flared up to an all new level as the fiery feeling reached his lungs. It was becoming increasingly hard for him to breathe almost like, like he was drowning. Fang let out a strangled gasp as he tried to take in a breathe, but no air would come in. The pain was becoming to much. His legs and arms felt like they were literally on fire, the tears from his eyes obscured his vision, and he could barely take a breathe anymore. His sight began to blacken as he started losing consciousness. In the distance he heard multiple voices, it sounded muffled, as if he were underwater. The whitecoats chattering, the erasers laughing, and someone screaming. Nudge, he thought. He couldn't black out now, she needed him. He fought against the darkness, bit by bit. A whitecoat pricked him in the neck with something and suddenly Fang could breathe again. He spit the thermometer out and took in a giant gulp of air, trying to get as much oxygen into his lungs as possible. His head jerked to the right as he threw up a mixture of greenish-red, foul-smelling liquid onto the pavement next to him. The burning sensation faded quickly, leaving him shuddering and gasping on the floor. The scalding temperature of the metal handcuffs made him all to aware of the near death experience.

The whitecoats stood directly in front of Fang blocking Nudge from his sight. He couldn't even see if Nudge was okay. He struggled to find his voice, but his brain wasn't cooperating with him at the moment. The whitecoat was talking to his assistants as they anxiously wrote things down on the clipboard.

"124.3 degrees was the peak core body temperature for the male subject." the assistant noted. "Amazing. Highest survival rate for humans is 110. This shows the ability to withstand and adapt to extreme temperature." The white coat rapidly wrote down these things down. "126.1 degrees, peak core body temperature for female subject. Interesting." The whitecoats congregated together on the other side of the room, probably to discuss more important matters out of his earshot. Fang's eyes widened when he saw Nudge. She was shivering on the floor, her breathes were short and rapid, and he could tell she was trying desperately not to cry. He wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better, but his own pain wouldn't allow it. Instead, they were both left to suffer in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR **

At some point Fang must have dozed off, which was rather hard to do considering the circumstances, because when he opened his eyes the whitecoats were gone. The aftereffects of the previous experiment had faded away. Thank goodness. He wanted to feel relieved or at least a bit grateful, but his gut and common sense wouldn't allow it. Something told him this wasn't going to be a one time event. It wasn't like them, they always came back for more. So this time Fang and Nudge needed to be prepared.

He gazed at Nudge who was curled despondently in the same position she had been in when this mess started. Her head was bowed, her eyes half-open as she gazed lifelessly at the floor. She looked so spaced out, he doubted that she even noticed him wake up. Fang knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better, nothing that wasn't a lie anyways. There was no way of telling how much time had passed, they were trapped in this stupid metal box, and if Max and them had escaped by now there was no way to be sure they were coming. The whitecoats had made it quite clear that they would be dealt quite a bit of pain. Something he wasn't looking forward to. They said only the good died young, but he wouldn't mind having a couple of extra of years on hand. Then the doors opened again, instead of whitecoats, erasers filed in. Oh Sht.

**Max's POV - 10 hours earlier after Fang and Nudge were taken.**

"What the hell! Come on you big furry bastards!" Max screamed against the bars as she rattled the cage back on forth. Why did the director want them? What kind of stupid fantasies would be carried out behind those walls. She knew that Fang and Iggy could withstand the pain, for awhile longer anyways, because they were older and had been at this longer. The younger ones were a completely different case. When Angel was taken, she'd nearly had a heart attack, the flock had immediately rushed to save her. The dread in the flock's eyes, thinking of what would happen if they didn't get to her in time, was something she never wanted to see again. But it was evident in Gazzy's wide eyes and it was obvious in Angel's eyes, even Iggy sightless ones were filled with it. Because as much as they hated to admit, Nudge wasn't as strong as she should be, she wasn't cut out for the torture. None of them were, but she had always seemed to be more affected by it.

When the oldest members of the flock were introduced to her back in the School Days, she was selectively mute. Nudge never made a sound. Not when she was experimented on, not when she was alone, not even when they talked to her. Nothing. Period. It was only after Gazzy and Angel came when she opened up. It killed her to see her flock like this way and it made her very, very angry. She banged against the cage again.

"Max." Iggy called out calmly. "Max. I hate to interrupt your tirade, but maybe we should start coming up with a plan." Max sighed frustratedly and leaned against the cage.

"This is the part, where you conveniently come up with a plan." Iggy said after it became apparent that the silence was going to go on.

"Let's face it. Max doesn't have a plan." Angel's six year old voice piped up. Damn. Screw Angel and her power games. Whatever happened to hope.

"Whoa. No Max always has a plan, Angel. Right Max?" Gazzy's nine year old childish voice piped up. Max smiled her little trooper, she wished she could say that it was true. But she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"See Gazzy. The fearless leader doesn't have a plan." Angel said tauntingly.

Max saw red, why did Angel always have to play the bad guy in situations like these. Suddenly an idea popped up in her head. "Angel, could you tap into their heads? Just to let them know we're here. See if you can see where they are." Angel's mouth opened and closed, probably trying to find a retort, instead her eyes went blank as she just silently complied. The remaining flock members stared anxiously at her, waiting for and update on their friends. None of them were prepared for what happened next.

Angel's eyes visibly widened for a fraction of a second before her scream pierced the air. It echoed around the empty room, but it didn't stop there. Angel shot back in her cage, almost knocking it over as she continued to scream. "It's burning! It's burning!" she yelled now backed up into the rear end of the cage. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Gazzy and Iggy were yelling now, as well, frantically trying to find out what was wrong, but to no avail. Why the heck does everything bad always happened to them. As quickly as Angel's spazzout had begun, it ended. "Are you okay?" Gazzy asked agitatedly.

"Y-yeah." Angel stuttered out. "Max-x. It's bad. We need to get out of here. Now." she said looking into Max's eyes. "They're coming back and it's not gonna be pretty."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 (****Present time)**

contradictor

**Fang POV**

If the whitecoat's goal had been to make them to feel helpless, they had surely succeeded. Their hands were tied up above his head, which left his stomach exposed. The single most important rule of fighting was to never leave the vital body parts unprotected. Well, other than the 'never under estimate your opponent', but you get his point. These vital body parts, in other words, the stomach and the head. At the current point in time, neither was doing so well. The little protection his stomach had was from his legs that were curled up in a half fetal position. So when danger started filing in, Fang could do nothing more than be sitting duck in his defenseless pose.

To say that the Erasers that were pushing their way into the room were huge would be an understatement. They had to stoop down to avoid hitting their heads on the entrance. The monsters were built like Mack trucks, their biceps were as big as watermelons, their necks looked like tree trunks, you could practically see their veins bursting with adrenaline anticipating what was to come. When the men smirked at them, the hideous yellow teeth that showed were as sharp as knives. The claws looked jagged and were at least 3 inches long. Fang swallowed as he regarded the Erasers and rapidly built his mental walls up. Something told him that the Eraser's weren't just here for observation this time.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the birdies are enjoying their stay." The ringleader noted mockingly, Fang immediately recognized him as the leader from earlier. He slightly jerked his head to the side, signaling Nudge to stay quiet. She gave a slight nod back and they rewarded the Eraser posse with silence, not even bothering to give them direct eye contact. "I bet you might be wondering why we're here?" he continued, more silence. The Eraser furred his brows in frustration, obviously not used to no one answering to him.

"Are you deaf?" the ringleader asked. Fang and Nudge kept their mouths shut, keeping up the silent charade.

"Answer me!" he yelled, the erasers behind him growled hoping to elicit a response out of him. More silence. Fang could see a faint smirk on Nudge's lips. She obviously enjoyed this little quiet game they were playing. Unfortunately, the Eraser saw it too.

"Oh so you think this is funny?" he asked incredulously. The ringleader stalked toward the two flock members.

"Well, let's see if you think this is funny!" He said and delivered an excruciating kick to Fang's stomach. The steel tipped boots connected sharply against his ribs, Fang barely managed to suppress a groan as he brought his knees up in a weak attempt to protect his vital areas. Pain is just a feeling, he chanted over and over in his head. Fang was determined to remain quiet; he didn't want to let the Erasers feel any satisfaction. Nudge, however, let out an involuntary squeak in surprise and worry for her friend. The Eraser grinned after he found the response he was looking for. "I thought so." He strode over to Nudge's side and yanked her up to her feet. His large, meaty hand slammed her backwards against the wall and he pressed his face close to hers. "So you're talking now?" He growled, one of his claws rested on her cheek. Nudge wrinkled her nose at the wolf's breath, but otherwise did nothing. "Answer me you wench!"

Nudge stayed silent, gazing over her shoulder at Fang who was still trying to recover. "Well, I might be talking, but it's you that's going to be screaming like a baby in a second." she said with a smirk. Antagonizing the enemy probably wasn't the best idea, but she wasn't going to submit easily. It was one of Max's rules; **never give up without a fight. **The wheels in her brain turned as she rapidly came up with a plan. There were four Erasers in the room, including the one standing in front of her. Eraser was still trying to figure out what she meant. Huh. Guess the super sized body didn't come with a super sized brain. In the spur of the moment, Nudge jerked her knee up and delivered a kick to his groin. As the Eraser gasped in pain, she delivered another kick to his knees, sending the wolf man flying toward the floor. By this point, Fang had figured out the plan and had wrapped his legs around the Eraser's neck quickly snapping it in half.

The other Erasers realized something was wrong and quickly rushed to save their comrade, but their efforts were futile against the angry bird kids. Nudge cuffed one in the front of the knee and delivered a jump kick to the man's solar plexus. Fang finished him off with a sharp kick to the throat. Two down, two to go. Well… Make that one. Nudge had inflicted a nasty roundhouse kick to the Eraser's head, knocking him out with a single blow. The last one was his, and this Eraser oh so conveniently had the key. He could only hope it was the one that would unlock them. Fang swept the Eraser's foot out from under him, and delivered two kicks; one to his solar plexus, the other to his stomach. He gazed at the motionless bodies, something bothered him about this scene. Was it just him or did those Erasers go down to easily.

"Is he down?" Nudge asked warily, interrupting him from his thoughts. The poor girl was exhausted, but Fang knew they couldn't afford to rest. It was only a matter of time before the alarms started blaring. He would have preferably found Max and the others before the wailing began. Time was of the essence. He gazed toward the keys that were hanging loosely on the Eraser's belt. Fang shrugged his sneakers off and pulled the unconscious body toward him. He carefully lifted the keys off of the belt and bent forward placing the keys in his mouth. Flexibility was an amazing trait to have in situations like this. He quickly unlocked the shackles and jumped to his feet to unlock Nudge's as well.

Fang swallowed his own pain as he helped Nudge to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked anxiously. Fang usually wasn't one to show emotion and when he did it usually was not directed to the younger members of the flock. In these circumstances however… It was no secret that Fang and Nudge had one of the closes brother-sister bond out of all of them. Well, excluding Gazzy and Angel. She was always willing to talk and he was content to listen. He was probably the only flock member that didn't get annoyed with her incessant chatter.

"Well, I won't die anytime soon if that's what you mean." Nudge replied grimacing. Fan nodded in response and stared into her eyes as he tried to verify if she was being honest or not. It wasn't that he didn't trust her. He trusted all his flock members, but they all had the tendency to hide injuries and keep a tough outside exterior. He should know he did it all the time. It came apparent that they were probably wasting precious minutes. So he broke the gaze.

"All right let's go."

The two flock mates slipped silently out the door.

**Max POV**

No one asked Angel to look into Fang or Nudge's minds again. What they heard earlier had been enough to shut them up for a while. The tense silence had been blanketed upon the room again. She didn't know what they were doing. Just sitting there. They weren't being tortured, drugged, put in an arena and told to fight each other to the death. Yet they were all sitting, curled up in the cages, not even attempting to do anything. Why? Oh yeah. She was supposed to be the leader. She was the one with the plan. The one that made sure no one died. She sure was doing a great job with that. Her musing was interrupted by the door opening again. She groaned as the one and only Director Raven Mcallister, strode confidently into the room. A lowly whitecoat wheeling in a huge cart trailed in after her.

"How are my test subjects doing?" she purred happily bending down at the cages.

"I don't know. Why don't you let me out and so you can check? It wouldn't hurt to get a little leg room you know?" Iggy growled from his cage. The Director ignored him.

"I'm truly surprised you haven't tried escaping yet. Your friends have." She continued, pleased to having gotten a reaction from them. Max had a glimmer of hope, if Fang and Nudge had escaped, that meant they were alive. For now at leat.

"They aren't going to get very far. No one ever gets far in the killhouse." The Director revealed happily.

"Killhouse?" Gazzy questioned.

"The killhouse trains the most violent and lethal experiments out there. A combination of obstacles, train each individual to survive in lethal environments, become an expert in guerilla warfare, and to fend for themselves. The Institute doesn't use all the armor and protection, like the government does. In the killhouse, it's kill or be killed. And your friends are going to be right in the middle of it." The glee that showed in her voice sounded venomous to the flock.

They could only think of the horrors the their friends were about to enter, but the Director wasn't done yet.

"Oh, but there is more. Thanks to your trusty six-year-old physic, you children know that we entered a drug into avian experiments F42n02g and N0d231g. The burning sensation, if I must clarify. It did not only serve as a temperature drug, but a tracking device and a mild painkiller. It does have some unfortunate side effects, such as nausea, intense vomiting, and hallucinations. All of which could impair their productivity in the killhouse, but no pain no game." She said teasingly.

The whitecoat behind her had uncovered a large plasma screen television, which he had been hooking up to a wall during the Director's tirade. Max's eyes grew wide as she realized what it was meant for. They were going to make them watch. Angel had apparently realized this too because she started panicking.

"Y-you can't make us watch! That's- It's.." she began blubbering. It was to late however, as the Director and whitecoat began to leave the room.

"Oh don't worry. You'll have plenty of refreshments to keep you comfortable during the film." The white coat wheezed in their direction. He unveiled another platter and set it down in front of the cages. Before he left the room as well.

The automated lock on the cages unlocked when the doors closed. They scrambled out of the claustrophobic enclosure and assured each other that they were okay. Max stared worriedly at the television screen, that had turned on during their reassurances. The high-definition black and white screen featured their bloodied, beaten, flockmates creeping down the white hallways.

Whatever events the Director had and store for them, I wasn't going to be good. Luckily, they had some experience from the days on the run. Experience, is the most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn. – C.S Lewis


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Fang crept silently down the stark white hallways. It had a different aura in it, then before. Gone were the busy white coats. Gone were the hulking Erasers. Gone were the dejected experiments. The hallways were empty and silent. Yet the fluorescent lights were still on, giving the place an eerie glow.

"Well, this is creepy." Nudge murmured, taking in the scene. Fang nodded in agreement. Something was off. This was beyond luck. Usually the sirens were blaring by now. All that could be heard now was the steady drip of water from somewhere in the distance.

They were reaching the end of the long hallway. Neither of them had bothered trying to open the doors, in fear of what they would find on the other side. They both knew they would have to conquer that pretty soon because the flock could be hidden in the rooms.

A loud creak interrupted the silence of their footsteps, making the two flock members tense up. They expertly scanned the room for signs of danger, but they saw none.

"It's probably just the pipes." He murmured. The nagging feeling in his stomach persisted. In a topnotch science facility designed to make, train, and capture experiments. Why in the world, would it really not have good plumbing either? The dripping water sound that had persisted the last few seconds, suddenly picked up. Gushing waterfall noises rung through out the empty hallway, yet there was not a drop of water to be found.

"Should we be worried?" Nudge asked shakily. Fang pondered her question for a moment. Her voice sounded off, like she had a cold. He quickly dismissed the problem, probably an after effect of the drug. He wasn't feeling to hot either.

"I don't think so. I doubt the waters pouring heavily enough to cause a legit problem. Worse comes to worse, we'll back track and find another way out." Fang responded. He didn't think that the School would actually flood this place out. There were to many valuable and expensive goods. Right? They lapsed into silence once more and continued down the hallway as Fang tried to remember the directions back to the other room. The odds of them still being there were slim, but it was a more pleasing idea then searching every room for them.

Fang had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realized he splashed which each step. When had the water level risen? The bluish purple water was up to his ankles and was still rising as he wallowed on. The temperature had suddenly dropped and he could see his breathe every time he exhaled. Icy water wasn't good for anyone's immune system, not even for mutants like them.

The water was rising at an alarming rate; it wouldn't be long before they were swimming down the halls. Once their wings were wet the chances of getting out of here fast were going to significantly lower. It was time to start banging doors down. The idea wasn't exactly appealing for him, but considering there was no possible way for the water to drain out…. He could breathe underwater. Nudge couldn't. Watching someone die by drowning wasn't on his list of things to do. Not on his watch.

"You okay back there?" he called. Nudge had been quiet for a while. It was unusual for the chatterbox. "We're going to have to start breaking down doors." No response. "Nudge?" He turned around. Nudge was a few feet back clutching her head. He rushed back to her.

"Are you okay? I need you to look at me, Nudge. Tell me " he asked grabbing her shoulders to make her stand up straight. She groaned and shook her head in response. Nudge's hands were covering her ears, as if him talking was too loud for her to bear. Her eyes were clouded over in pain. Fang felt bad for her, but he knew they couldn't afford to slow down. Not with the water rising as fast as it was. The lights had started to flicker on and off; soon they were going to be in complete darkness. He had to think quickly.

"Okay, get on my back." He said and when Nudge complied, he started kicking at the doors. This was relatively hard because the doors were made of steel and his torso was completely underwater. Have you ever tried kicking someone ever tried kicking someone underwater? Kicking down a door was much worse. Fang ferociously kicked at the barrier that separated them from dry land, but it was to no avail.

He ran to the next door, but that wouldn't cave in. "Shit." He muttered. The water level was steadily rising. It wouldn't be long before the water was to his chest. Then they would have to swim for it. A deafening creak rang out, practically drowning out the sound of rushing water. Then miraculously the steel doors slowly began to open.

His heart leaped when the doors opened, but the hope instantly diminished when he saw what was inside. In each of the six doors that had opened in the hallway held six hulking erasers. They were bigger than, the others that he and Nudge had disarmed. The muscles rippled under matted fur, canines as long as kitchen knives hung from their mouths, a mix mash of flippers and claws were attached where the paws should have been. Right now they seemed to be sleeping, but he doubted they would stay that way for long.

Then a light showed at the end of the hallway. Amazingly, one of the ceiling tiles had slid open with the rest of the steel doors. Fang was unsure of the credibility of the using the missing ceiling as the exit. It seemed way to convenient. On the other hand, he didn't want to wait here till the water rose above their heads or for the Erasers to wake up. They were going to have to swim it.

He lifted Nudge off his back. The water was up to her neck now; her dark hair was matted as the water down on them. He wasn't sure when water began pouring from the ceiling, but it didn't matter now. It wouldn't be long until it was up to his neck. "We're going to swim down there. I'm going to lift out through the hole, and then I'm coming up after you. Okay?" Fang instructed. She looked slightly confused, but gave a nod to show she understood. Then she was gone swimming as fast as she could down the water. Fang dipped underneath and swam expertly after her. Neither of them saw the Eraser's eyes opening.

Fang found it unusually difficult to swim forward, after a few minutes. It was like he was swimming in molasses. Going slower and slower as he went along. Nudge seemed to be having trouble as well. It was then he realized that the School had played another cruel trick on them. They had reversed the current. It was going to take more time, time they didn't have, to get to their destination. He swallowed water and felt relieved as his lungs were replenished. Up ahead he saw Nudge go up for a breath and continue going, determined to make it to the end. The rippling light got closer and closer despite the water rushing in the other direction. The School couldn't stop them from doing what they wanted to do. He almost grinned, they were going make it! Oh what famous last words…

Two shadowy figures smashed into him, knocking the breath out of his lungs, and pushing him roughly into the wall. How had he not heard them coming? Fang struggled to regain his bearings, but failed as one of the Erasers jammed his fist, claws and all, into his stomach. He could feel his stomach and chest being ripped to shreds, as the monsters pummeled him against the wall. His black shirt would bee as good as gone after this encounter. The bluish water had take a reddish tint, as the bird kids blood seeped out of them. Fang felt his consciousness waiver in and out. He struggled to remain conscious, if he didn't they were good as dead. Fang knew that he was going to loose that battle when on landed a mean right hook to his temple.

Then as quickly as the assault started, it came to an end. An orange figure pulled the erasers off of them, snapping their necks quickly and efficiently. Quickly going towards the Erasers surrounding, what he assumed to be Nudge, and got rid of them too. As Fang's vision finally faded to black, he vaguely remembered being pulled toward the light. The last thing he remembered thinking was who was the figure, and what the hell was it doing down here?


End file.
